


Things aren't always what they seem

by violetsarentred



Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover-Doctor Who, Wild West
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-12
Updated: 2012-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-18 12:12:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/560941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetsarentred/pseuds/violetsarentred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock's a Time Lord hiding in the Wild West</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“You’re always telling me that I’m unfeeling. That I don’t understand human emotion. Well I’m willing to give it a try. For you, John.”  
————————————————————  
John woke up to the sound of Roosters crowing. He pulls himself out of bed and walks into the kitchen. ‘Well, I see you didn’t get any sleep last night… again. What’s that you’ve got in your hand?’  
‘It’s a Pocket Watch.’  
‘A Pocket Watch?’ he asked alarmed. ‘you didn’t open it did you?’  
‘Don’t be such an idiot, that’s what do with Pocket Watches, but no, the latch appears to be broken so it’s wont open.’ He throws the watch haphazardly over his shoulder. John dives to save it.  
‘I’m going into town today to see some patients. Please don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.  
John sighed as he opened the screen door that separated their cabin from the hot dusty world outside.  
Sherlock had said he wanted to be human to better understand John, he had forgotten all of that. He was his usual uncaring self. This was nothing more than an experiment and not John was trapped in the 1800’s.  
At least being a doctor has come in handy a bit. I’ve built my self a reputation and a livelihood.  
————————————————-  
When John got back from his visits, Sherlock was no where to be seen. Grumbling, he made his way to the Sheriff’s Office expecting to find him arrested for trying to set the neighbor’s cows on fire or something similar.  
Sally Donovan was the only one there. ‘Here for the Freak? I don’t understand how you can live with him. You seem like a reasonable fellow, why ruin your chances by bringing him around with you?’  
‘He’s my friend and he needs someone to look after him. I’m all he’s got. Have you seen him?’  
‘Unsurprisingly, he’s with the Sheriff. Surprisingly, Lestrade asked for him. Thought it would keep him away from the chickens. They’re at the Saloon.’  
The last thing John needed right now was a drunk Time Lord.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible Feels Warning

What John found at the Saloon was not what he had been expecting. Instead of a drunk Sherlock, he found the door broken off and a man lying in a pool of blood.  
‘What’s going on here?’ he shouted.  
‘Ah John, I see you were able to work out where I was, and as for what’s going on, I think that would be fairly obvious. It’s a crime scene.’ He goes back to examining the body.  
‘What I meant was, What the hell are you doing here?’ he should have known that Sherlock would have gotten back into investigating sooner or later, he just would have rathered it was later.  
‘Well Lestrade was kind enough to ask me to help out, and I was bored. Besides I’ve already worked out who killed this man.’  
—————-  
They chased then man on horseback out of the town. ‘Don’t let him get away! This man is wanted for 5 other murders in the town over!” Sherlock called after Lestrade. All of a sudden a bullet whizzed past his ear. The only way to catch this man now was to disable him with a bullet.  
John and Lestrade pulled out their pistols and began firing, leaving Sherlock only to observe.  
‘John! Watch out!’ Sherlock yelled at his friend a moment to late. He watched as the bullet pierced John’s left shoulder and exited out the back. He watched as his friend’s eyes glazed over in shock and he fell off his horse collapsing on the dusty earth beneath him,  
Lestrade took no time in shooting the murderer dead before running to John’s aid. He got there just after Sherlock who was already trying to stop the blood that was leaving John’s body at a rapid pace.  
‘We need a doctor, quickly.’ Lestrade whispered urgently to him.  
‘He is the doctor’ Sherlock replied with voice shaky with fear.   
————-  
What none of them realized, was that someone was watching them from the hills, and he now knew exactly how to take down Sherlock Holmes.


	3. Chapter 3

Lestrade and Sherlock had managed to get John back home by propping him up against Sherlock’s chest as he rode. He had lost a lot of blood and was no longer responding to their words. Since there was no other doctor available, Sherlock decided he would try to stitch John up himself. He had seen John do it many times to his patients and felt like he had a basic understanding of what to do. It wasn’t pretty to look at but the blood had stopped flowing freely.  
‘If only we were home, I could get you to a hospital and get you proper help.’ He paused, where had that come from? He shook it off and went to get something to bandage up the wound.  
——————  
After 3 fevered days John Watson finally woke up. He tried to pull himself out of bed but a tugging on his left should stopped him. He looked over and saw the bandage and everything came back to.  
Sherlock poked his head though the doorway! ‘John, your up’ he said casually.  
‘Did you do this? John gestured to his shoulder.  
‘Yes’ Sherlock said cautiously. ‘Is it not right?’  
‘No, no its great actually. Thank You.’ He sat back in bed. ‘did you get him?’  
‘Yes, the Sheriff put a bullet in his heart shortly after you fell.’  
‘That’s good then, best not to have a murderer out wandering the plains.’  
———————-  
Moriarty had been searching all over the Universe for Sherlock and he had finally found him living in a small western town with a human. And what made it all the more interesting was that Sherlock didn’t remember who he was.  
‘A whole new game. Lets see how clever your human body is.’  
————————  
Over the span of 3 months, Sherlock helped the Sheriff catch bandits, smugglers and bank robbers.  
He was back to his old self, only he didn’t know it. To him this was a new found talent, as well as a way to stave off boredom.  
John was glad he was no longer bailing Sherlock out of jail, but he still wished his friend was at least trying to be more human.  
He fingered the watch that contained all of his friend’s memories.


	4. Chapter 4

Moriarty knew what he had to do to get Sherlock’s attention. He had to get a hold of Dr. Watson, and what better way to do that than to pretend to be a patient.  
It wouldn’t be an elaborate ordeal; Jim simply wanted to see Sherlock squirm.  
————————-  
John was surprised by a knock on the door. It was late, what would anyone need at this hour?  
‘Mrs. Hudson, what is it?’  
‘Oh John dear, I’m so sorry to bother you but I have a guest who could use a doctor.  
‘Of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’ He went back inside to grab his doctors bag. ‘Sherlock, I’m going out’ he called as he ran out the door.  
It took him 15 minutes to ride to the Inn. He immediately went and knocked on the patients’s door.  
‘Come in’  
‘Hi, I’m Dr. John Watson.’ He said as he entered, politely extending his hand. ‘ what seems to be the problem?’  
‘Sherlock Holmes’ the man hissed.  
‘ I’m sorry?’ came John’s confused response moments before he was attacked from behind and a wet cloth was pressed over his nose and mouth.  
‘Sherlock Holmes is my Problem and your going to help me fix it.’   
Then John lost consciousness.  
———————  
He awoke in a dark room, tied to a chair. The smell of rotting wood filled his nose, mixing with the lingering smell of chloroform! Chloroform! It’s the 1823, how would anyone have chloroform! He knew then that he was in big trouble.  
‘Awake then are you Johnny boy? It’s about time, Sherlock should be here soon and it wouldn’t do to have you miss all the fun.’ Came a sing-songy voice from behind him.  
‘Who are you?’  
‘The name is Jim Moriarty and I want Sherlock to see his whole world disappear, just as mine did.’


	5. Chapter 5

Sherlock walked carefully into the abandoned barn. He didn’t know what to expect. A note had been slipped under the door tell him to come, he had to admit he was intrigued, a new mystery. He stopped dead once he saw what appeared to be a man tried to a chair at the far end of the building. Looking around for traps he made his way towards the man.  
‘Not so fast there Sherlock, it’s not going to be as easy as you think.’ Came a voice from the rafters. ‘ First there is something I need from you.’  
‘Who are you, what do you want’ he said coolly, not wanting to give away his sense of panick.  
The owner of the voice jumped nimbly down and started making his way toward Sherlock. ‘Do you really not recognize me after all that we’d been through? Oh of course not, new face’ he giggled gesturing to himself.  
‘What do you mean new face, that’s not possible?’ He was confused; his mind was racing a mile and minute trying to put the pieces together. He knew there was something he was missing but what?  
‘Never mind that, back to business. I want your watch, nothing else, just the watch.’  
‘You can’t have it’ cried the man in the corner. Sherlock spun to look at him, eyes wide. John.  
‘It’s not yours to have! It’s his and mine! His memories of us, together.’  
John’s hysterical, what was he talking about, what watch, what memories? If it was about him and John he wouldn’t have forgotten. He could never have forgotten.  
‘Well isn’t that sweet, looks like someone is in love.’ Jim looked amusingly at John. ‘Where’s the watch John? Since Sherlock doesn’t know anything about it and your oh so sentimental it stand to reason that you have it.’  
Sherlock started moving toward John.  
‘I wouldn’t if I were you. Sebastian!’ A big muscled man appeared out of nowhere with two guns in hand. One was aimed at John and the other was aimed at Sherlock. “Now John, I’m going to ask this one more time. Where. Is. The. Watch? And It you don’t tell me, Sherlock dies.’  
John hung his head in defeat. ‘Its in my coat pocket.’  
Jim patted John’s head and reached into his pocket, looking pleased when his hand found what it was looking for.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels Warning

Before he could get a good look at his prize a sudden movement to his left distracted him.  
‘That doesn’t belong to you’ Sherlock stated firmly, pointing the gun he had hidden in his coat directly at Jim.  
‘Sherlock, that would be a waste of bullets. You can’t kill me with a gun, I’ll simply regenerate.’  
‘You wont die, but I bet he can’ switch the direction of the gun and aiming it at Sebastian. ‘I know by the way that he hold his guns that he is an expect gunman, but you won’t really risk his life will you?’ Sherlock knew he had him there.  
‘Fair enough, your right, well played. Let’s go Sebastian. Oh and Sherlock, expect to see me again very soon.’ And with that Moriarty left tossing the watch at Sherlock as he passed.  
————————-  
Sherlock ran to John as soon as Moriarty and Sebastian had left the barn.  
‘John! Are you ok? They didn’t hurt you did they?’ he looked his friend over anxiously, only when he was sa tisfied that John was not hurt did he realize that John was trying to tell him something.  
‘We can’t do this anymore Sherlock. You have to open the watch, Jim Moriarty clearly played a big part in your past and it’s too dangerous to go against him without your memory.’  
Sherlock locked at the engraved metal watch in his hand, he could feel the power emanating from it. ‘If I open this, will I be immortal like Jim?’  
‘Yes’  
‘I don’t think I can do it.’  
‘You have to, I can’t go on having memories of us that you don’t have.’ John pleaded.  
‘But I can’t live without. I love you John Watson.’  
‘And I love you Sherlock Holmes’  
Sherlock looked at the watch and opened it slowly. With in a matter of seconds his memory was back.  
——————————  
The two of them stood in front of the cabin that had been their home for the past two years. ‘It’s time to go home now, Sherlock’  
Sherlock opened the doors to his Tardis, and gestured for John to go in first.  
‘I’m going to miss this town. I was starting to like riding my horse everywhere and all the adventure, stopping highway robberies and such.’ John said sorrowfully as he gave one last look at the dusty old town.  
‘I will too John. It was here that I finally learned what it was really like to be human. But we have other adventures ahead of us. Where to next?’  
John smiled, Sherlock was the same as ever, always ready to move on to the next things. Yet what he said sounded sad. Maybe Sherlock Holmes finally found something to be sentimental about. Funny to think that is was in the Old West, rather than the bustling streets of London that he loved so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for the Party When Dead submission party! (the more you submit the more points)


End file.
